Motorola’s Texas-built Moto X goes on sale this month

When Google bought Motorola, the search giant promised that the struggling handset maker would not get preferential treatment over the many creators of other Android-based handsets. Of course, that didn’t mean that Google ultimately wouldn’t have a say in the design and building of Motorola’s smartphones. But clearly, Google walks a fine line – it has a chance to showcase Android’s full capabilities, but doesn’t want to alienate the massive Android ecosystem in the process.

Thus it’s not surprising that the Moto X – the first Motorola smartphone designed under Google’s ownership – is cool, but not too cool. It’s specs are . . . OK, and it’s got just enough unique features to differentiate itself from the pack.

But is it the Android phone to end all Android phones? While I have yet to hold one in my hands, on paper I’d say not.

During an event in New York Thursday, Motorola and Google took the wraps off the Moto X. It has a Qualcomm Snapdragon S4 Pro dual-core processor running at 1.7 GHz, along with additional processors handling specific chores. Motorola refers to this network of processors as the X8 Mobile Computing System.

The phone also has 2 GB of RAM and comes with either 16 or 32 GB of storage. There’s no memory card slot, which is in keeping with other phones designed under Google’s aegis, such as the Nexus 4.

The display is a 4.7-inch AMOLED screen, the edges of which curve gently into the case, which is made of a composite material. The corners are curved, so it looks a lot like the 3G-era iPhones or Samsung’s Galaxy S phones from the front. Based on photos, the back curves similar the HTC One.

The screen has a 720-by-1,280-pixel resolution, with a pixel density of 316 pixels per inch. That’s less than the iPhone 5’s 326-PPI retina display, but still not bad. But, it’s surprising that Motorola didn’t up the ante by offering a 1080p display. That keeps the cost down and keeps Android partners at bay.

It also has a 10 megapixel camera that uses a cluster of 4 pixels rather than 3 in its sensor. This fourth pixel picks up light, and the company claims it can pull in more light as a result. And here’s a cool trick: to launch the camera app you just flick your wrist. To snap a pick, just touch anywhere on the screen, and holding your finger on the screen takes multiple photos.

Interestingly, the Moto X comes with a mostly stock install of Android 4.2.2, which is not the latest version of Android. At the same event last week in which Google unveiled new Nexus tablets and its Chromecast TV-streaming device, it also launched Android 4.3. Presumably, the Moto X will get an update soon, but it’s a little disappointing that even Google can’t get its own phone out the door with the latest release of Android.

You can expect the carriers offering the Moto X to load it up with their own branded crapware, but the company promises that an unlocked, Android-only version will be available direct from Google. You can buy similar Google Play versions of the HTC One and Samsung Galaxy S4 now.

As had been leaked earlier, the Moto X does indeed come with the ability to listen constantly for voice commands. It’s off by default, but when it’s on you can say “OK Google Now” and give a command without touching the phone. In a hands-on blog post, Gizmodo reports it works so long as the commands aren’t complex:

For the most part it seems to work pretty well, though it did have trouble with longer commands, like adding a calendar entry with a time, date, and location. It would definitely be very handy while driving. You can even configure it to read texts to you, and to verbally confirm the things you tell it to write, so you really don’t have to look at it (or touch it) at all.

And unlike Google Glass, which has a similar trick but will wake up when anyone speaks the magic words, you can train the Moto X so it only responds to your voice. (I bet the finished version of Glass has this protection as well.)

The Moto X also is smart about notifications, which show up on a mostly black lock screen. They’ll display briefly, then disappear, which saves battery life.

And then there’s the vaunted ability to customize the phone physically to your liking. You can have different colored backs and other cosmetic customizations – eventually, Motorola will even offer wooden backs.

Unfortunately, you’ll only be able to do this if you’re an AT&T customer. At Sprint, T-Mobile, Verizon and U.S. Cellular, you’ll be stuck with black-and-white colors. All the phones are assembled at a plant in Fort Worth.

The 16-GB version of the Moto X will sell for $199 on contract, and $249 for the 32-GB version, later this month.

A little underwhelming. I was hoping to be tempted by a robust phone that would always be running the latest Android. The fact that a google-made phone is lagging behind the latest release seems like a bad sign to me. I really like a lot about Android but I’m just not wiling to buy into the phone manufacturer crap that keeps you from getting software updates.

Reserve judgment until you see what the Google Play edition of the Moto X looks like. Remember the initial phones are routed through carriers – they have a say as to what goes on them. The Google Play edition likely will have 4.3, and will get newer updates. Note that today, just over a week after 4.3 was formally announced, the Google Play versions of the Galaxy S4 and HTC One are getting 4.3. That’s pretty timely.